1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an offense limit time display window on a basketball game remaining time electronic signboard, and more particularly, to a controller for controlling a timer for measuring offense limit time in a basketball game, in which offense limit time is continuously displayed on an offense limit time display when game remaining time is left less than twenty-four seconds, to thereby allow players to play the basketball game and spectators to see the basketball game more dynamically as well.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an organized basketball game has two teams consisting of five players each. The team that has the ball is the offense and the opposing team becomes the defense. The offense has to get the ball through the opposing team's basket as much as possible by passing or dribbling a ball effectively, and the defense has to stop them from doing so. That's basketball rule in a nutshell. The offense positions the players to take a shot, that is, throw the ball through the hoop. In the defense positions players block these shots.
Basketball originated from America is a sport of agility and endurance that develops hand-eye coordination. Dr. James Naismith of Ontario, Canada invented the basketball game in 1891. He contrived the basketball game which can be played indoors even in the rainy days or winter seasons. He set up five principles and thirteen rules, taking field games such as the American football, soccer, ice or field hockey, etc. That is, the basketball game was invented according to the following conditions: 1) a light ball which is of a size sufficient to handle it by the hand or hands of the player is used; 2) the players should not run while holding the ball but can run while passing or dribbling the ball; 3) Any players can handle the ball anytime during playing the game; 4) the players can be positioned any place in the court, but should not touch the other team's players; and 5) the game post should be installed horizontally at an appropriately high position from the bottom of the court.
By the basketball rule, there are a youth basketball game of which duration has forty minutes having two 20-minute halves, with a running clock, a professional basketball game of which duration is divided into four quarters, for forty minutes each quarter being ten minutes, etc.
Also, there is a 30-second or 24-second violation rule, in which each basketball team must attempt a shot within 30 or 24 seconds, which otherwise result in a change of possession of the ball.
Thus, since the 30-second or 24-second shot clock was the most exciting change in the basketball game, in which a team now got 24 seconds to take a shot or else lose the possession of the ball, all basketball players should see a timer which is installed in the upper portion or the rear wall of the basketball court frequently, in order to check how much remaining time of the game is left, in particular, in order to use offense limit time in the offense positions, even in the case that the players play the game according to the playing strategy, that is, even in the tense situations of playing the game with the five players in one team jointed together.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for driving an electronic signboard on which basketball game remaining time is displayed, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the electronic signboard of FIG. 1 on which basketball game remaining time is displayed is installed in the upper side of the basketball game post.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional system for driving an electronic signboard on which basketball game remaining time is displayed, includes a basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14 which is installed in the upper portion of a basketball game post 13, so that players who play a basketball game see times displayed on a game remaining time display 10 and an offense limit time display 12 and thus recognize the game remaining time and the offense limit time. Also, the conventional electronic signboard driving system includes a main electronic signboard (not shown) which is installed so that spectators can visually recognize various data such as game remaining time, offense limit time, scores, the names of players, etc. Also, the conventional electronic signboard driving system includes a game management computer 16 having a memory and output unit which stores the various data such as the game remaining time, offense limit time, scores, the names of players, etc., and outputs the same to the main electronic signboard. Also, the conventional electronic signboard driving system includes an offense limit time dedicated controller 20 having a memory, a switching unit and a liquid crystal display in order to designate offense limit time varying over time on the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14 and the main electronic signboard, and having an information transmission and reception dedicated connector 18 which shares the designated offense limit time with an external unit (not shown) in the outside of the housing of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20. Also, the conventional electronic signboard driving system includes a game remaining time dedicated controller 22 which is electrically connected with the connector 18 which is installed in the outside of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20 via a separate cable, and receives the designated offense limit time from the offense limit time dedicated controller 20 so as to be displayed on the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14 and the main electronic signboard, and having a memory, a switching unit and a liquid crystal display in order to designate the game remaining time to the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14, and to directly output the game remaining time on the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14 when the game management computer 16 is turned off.
Here, the game remaining time display 10 in the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14 is much smaller than the offense limit time display 12 therein.
A restart switch, a start switch, a stop switch, and a reset switch are installed in the front surface of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20. Also, a toggle switch for setting offense limit time for an amateur or professional basketball game is positioned in the upper portion of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20. Also, a connector for a power supply, and a connector for data transmission are installed in one side of the rear surface of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20.
The start switch is used for triggering offense limit time. The restart switch is used for continuously newly setting offense limit time. The stop switch is used when the game is interrupted by timeouts or breaks to thus have no need to set offense limit time. The reset switch is used for renewing the basketball game electronic signboard driving system.
The toggle switch is shifted from an amateur mode to a professional mode and vice versa once it is pressed. At present, there are a 30-second and 24-second violation rules. Since offense limit time is 30 seconds in the amateur basketball game mode, each basketball team must attempt a shot within 30 seconds, which otherwise result in a change of possession of the ball. Since offense limit time is 24 seconds in the professional basketball game mode, each basketball team must attempt a shot within 24 seconds, which otherwise result in a change of possession of the ball.
Also, on one side of the upper portion of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20 is positioned a display on which designated offense limit time is displayed in real-time. Also, a separate power switch and a fuse are installed on the front surface of the offense limit time dedicated controller 20.
Meanwhile, on the front surface of the game remaining time dedicated controller 22 are a buzzer switch, a reset switch, a stop switch, a start switch, and an indicator lamp, together with a time setting switch and a display.
Also, a power switch is installed in the game remaining time dedicated controller 22. Also, a switch turning on of off the game remaining time dedicated controller 22, and a switch inducing the offense limit time dedicated controller 20 to be turned on, are installed in the game remaining time dedicated controller 22. Also, a fuse is installed at a proper place in the game remaining time dedicated controller 22.
The basketball game remaining time electronic signboard having the above-described structure outputs various information such as introduction of players, scores, and game remaining time, on the main electronic signboard by the game management computer 16 so that spectators can see the various information displayed on the main electronic signboard.
Also, the game management computer 16 transmits the signal for the game remaining time to the game remaining time display 10 provided in the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 12 which is installed in the upper portion of the basketball game post 13, via the game remaining time dedicated controller 22, so that the game remaining time is displayed on the game remaining time display 10 in real-time in synchronization with the main electronic signboard.
Meanwhile, when an operational signal is applied in the offense limit time dedicated controller 20, it is transmitted to the main electronic signboard and the offense limit time display 12 provided in the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14, respectively, so that the remaining offense limit time can be recognized by both the players and spectators.
To do so, the output signal from the offense limit time dedicated controller 20 should be transmitted to the basketball game remaining time dedicated controller 22. The output signal from the offense limit time dedicated controller 20 is transmitted to both the offense limit time display 12 provided in the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14 and the main electronic signboard, so as to be easily recognized by both the players and spectators.
However, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case that game remaining time is left less than 24 seconds on the game remaining time display 10 in the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14, a 24=second timer is turned off according to a control signal output from the game remaining time dedicated controller 22, and thus no offense limit time is displayed on the offense limit time display 12 provided in the basketball game remaining time electronic signboard 14.
Accordingly, the players or spectators should see the game remaining time display 10 which is a small display installed in the upper side of the basketball game post, or the main electronic signboard installed at a remote place from the basketball game court, and play the game.
As a result, umpires or game operation personnel should inform the players or spectators of the remaining offense limit time manually.
In the case of an evenly-matched contest, a failure to see the game remaining time accurately may cause losing of the game which otherwise may be won.
Thus, players cannot be indulged on the game and play the game more vividly, which may cause a number of spectators who enjoy seeing basketball games to be reduced.